Diamondback Moth Parasite vs Common Spongillafly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Diamondback Moth Parasite Common Spongillafly
Scientific Name Diadegma insulare Sisyra fuscata
Order Hymenoptera Neuroptera
Family Braconidae Sisyridae
Size 3-5 mm 6-10 mm wingspan
Habitat Farmland Ponds & Lakes
Diet Parasitoids Parasitoids
Regions North America, Central America Europe, Western Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Diamondback Moth Parasite

A small parasitoid that is the most important natural enemy of the diamondback moth on brassica crops. It lays a single egg inside each host caterpillar.

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Did You Know?

Overuse of insecticides on brassica crops often kills this wasp, ironically leading to worse diamondback moth outbreaks.

Common Spongillafly

A small dark lacewing whose larvae are aquatic parasitoids of freshwater sponges. One of the few neuropterans with aquatic larval stages.

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Did You Know?

Its larvae breathe underwater using specialized pointed mouthparts that also pierce sponge cells for feeding.